TaichiZhe

☯️ FROM CHINA TO GERMANY

Today I’m sharing a complete practice of the
12-Form Daoyin Yangsheng Gong.

I practiced together with my German students,
moving through all 12 forms as one continuous practice.

12 movements.
12 images from traditional Chinese culture.
One breath.
One practice.

Which movement would you like to learn more about?

👇 Tell me the number: 1–12
‪@TaichiZhe‬

👉👉👉Upcoming premiere, follow me and practice together!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28NA...

17 hours ago | [YT] | 20

TaichiZhe

🌕 The Moon Is Full. Let the Heart Become Still.

Mid-Autumn is a time of reunion.

But in Taoist cultivation,
the deepest reunion is not with something outside us.

It is a return to ourselves.

No force.
No seeking.
No unnecessary effort.

Just breath, movement, stillness —
and the space between them.

🌕 The moon is full.
The heart is still.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival from Dali, China.

Huang Shan · TAICHIZHE ☯️

Wherever you are in the world,
take one quiet breath with me tonight.

1 day ago | [YT] | 100

TaichiZhe

☯️ WHERE DOES TAI CHI POWER BEGIN?

Most people look at the hands.
But in traditional internal Tai Chi practice, the search begins somewhere else:

The feet.

From the feet → legs → waist → spine → crown…

and then the intention extends beyond the physical body.

This is one way of Finding Jin（找劲）.

Today, two of my students are exploring this method through practice.

So here is a question for you:

Where do you feel Tai Chi power begins?

👇
Feet?
Waist?
Spine?
Or somewhere beyond the body?

Watch the practice and share your experience.

Tai Chi Power Does NOT Start in Your Hands | Finding Jin
👉👉👉 youtube.com/shorts/YWm9kE-o2M...

☯️ Taichizhe | Taoist Ancient-Style Tai Chi

#TaiChi #FindingJin #InternalTaiChi #TaoistTaiChi #Taichizhe

2 days ago | [YT] | 49

TaichiZhe

☯️ A Tai Chi question for you:

Where does Jin begin?

A. Hands
B. Waist
C. Feet
D. The whole body

There is no shortcut to the answer.

You have to practice and feel it.

Two students are exploring this in our latest Short:

Finding Jin — from the feet, through the body, toward the sky.

👉👉👉 youtube.com/shorts/YWm9kE-o2Mg

What is your answer?

👇 Comment A, B, C or D — and tell us why.

#TaiChi #FindingJin #InternalTaiChi #Taichizhe

3 days ago | [YT] | 23

TaichiZhe

The Heart-Post: Taichi Master HuangShan’s The Core Inner Method of Daoist Ancient-Method Taiji Cultivation
👉👉👉 https://youtu.be/ilKQY7pN2XU
I. General Principle
Daoist ancient Taiji is cultivation, not mere fighting. Masters take standing post as the gate. Most people stand the body; the ancient method stands the heart. Huang Shan revealed: standing post is refining the post with the heart. This is the Heart-Post. Everything is born within.

Heart is post; post is heart. Body post is its vehicle; breath is its flow. If heart does not move, post does not move. Thus the post is born within.

All things arise from being; being arises from non-being. The Heart-Post is not from outside. It is the natural unfolding of original heart, like a spring from earth. Then standing is not forced endurance but natural growth, wu-wei yet nothing undone.

II. First Layer: Still Heart, Root Born
First is stillness, not suppression, but heart returning to its place. When heart is still, root is born.

Root is source and life-force. A restless heart is a candle in wind; a still heart is clear water. This root is not in the feet but in heart-nature. When heart-root is born, body relaxes and sinks like a tree rooted deep. Though wind shakes it, root does not move.

When root is born, feet enter earth. Not literally; spirit-intent enters earth. Crown suspended, feet rooted, heaven-earth-human threaded. Feet feel light, not heavy; soft, not stiff. This is relaxed sinking, not forced down.

Begin with stillness. If heart is not still, all methods are empty. Stillness takes years, like polishing a mirror: dust gone, light born.

III. Second Layer: Clear Heart, Bright Jin
When heart is still, it becomes clear. When heart is clear, jin is bright.

Clear means limpid. Still water reflects; a bright mirror mirrors. An unclear heart makes jin tangled. A clear heart makes jin like drawn silk: distinct without force.

Jin here is innate true jin, not clumsy strength. It is neither hard nor soft; neither existent nor nonexistent. It comes like spring water, goes like autumn leaves.

When jin is bright, waist governs. Waist is central axis, hinge of above and below. It is not the source of force but the pivot of transformation. If waist governs, above and below connect; jin is whole, not scattered. This comes from clear heart and bright jin, not force. Remove thoughts, attachments, cravings. When heart has nothing, it is clear; then jin is bright and waist governs.

IV. Third Layer: Pure Heart, Undivided Whole
When heart is clear, it becomes pure. When heart is pure, it is undifferentiated and whole.

Pure means not stained by a single dust. Clear removes turbidity; pure does not retain even clarity. Clear is autumn water; pure is great void. When heart is pure, ten thousand methods return to one.

Then in standing, no post, no heart, no body. Heart and post are one; post and body one; body and heaven-earth one. Without inside or outside, above or below. Qi penetrates the tips; whole body is one family.

Qi penetrating tips does not mean qi literally reaches them; where spirit-intent goes, qi goes. Four tips: hair blood, tongue flesh, teeth bone, nails sinew. When qi reaches four tips, body is one family. Hand and foot, elbow and knee, shoulder and hip unite. This is "whole."

Only then is whole jin obtained. Yet wholeness cannot be sought. Stand daily; do not seek wholeness, and wholeness arrives.

V. Daily Use and Conclusion
Once Heart-Post is accomplished, it is not only in standing. In form and push hands, all is its flow. Heart-Post is essence; form and push hands are function. Essence and function are one. Only when relaxed and sunk to the bottom is whole jin obtained.

Daoist Taiji standing is not standing post; it is standing heart. Refining post with heart is the Heart-Post. Post born within, not from outside.

Still heart, root born; root born, feet enter earth. Clear heart, jin bright; jin bright, waist governs. Pure heart, undifferentiated whole; qi penetrates tips, body one family.

If students believe and persevere, they need not seek Dao; Dao arrives. This is the true meaning of Daoist ancient Taiji and Huang Shan's secret. May all cultivators enter Taiji and realize the great Dao.

The Heart-Post: post born from heart; post completed by heart.

3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 88

TaichiZhe

Tai Chi Is Movement and Stillness | Master Huang Shan

Fast or slow?

True Tai Chi is not limited to one speed.

It moves between stillness and motion, softness and strength, Yin and Yang.

In this short performance, Master Huang Shan presents Taoist traditional Tai Chi through both dynamic movement and quiet stillness — where movement does not leave stillness, and stillness does not stop movement.

Tai Chi is not about forcing the body.

It is about returning to natural movement.

Watch closely.

You may see more than movement.

👉 youtube.com/shorts/asd7qC90vqc

#TaiChi #TaoistTaiChi #Shorts #MasterHuangShan #Taichizhe

1 week ago | [YT] | 125

TaichiZhe

☯️ A new journey begins soon.

Tomorrow, we return to the mountains.

Not to perform Tai Chi.

But to practice.

🌿 Nature
☯️ Tai Chi
🧘 Stillness

The Way of Tai Chi

Premieres in 12 hours.

Set your reminder and join me for the Premiere.

— Master Huang Shan

1 week ago | [YT] | 21

TaichiZhe

Before Taiji, there is Wuji.

This is a complete Taoist standing practice — from preparation, breath regulation and Wuji Standing, to Hunyuan Standing, the Ten-Cross Opening & Closing, and finally returning to the Dantian.

If you practice Tai Chi, tell me:

Do you begin with movement — or with stillness?

☯

Watch slowly. Practice gently.
Let the body discover what force cannot create.

1 week ago | [YT] | 40

TaichiZhe

Who Is Master Huang Shan? Exploring Daoist Traditional Tai Chi Beyond the Forms

If you have practiced Tai Chi for a long time, you may have noticed that there is a big difference between learning Tai Chi as a slow-moving form of exercise and approaching it as a traditional internal martial art.

Recently, I came across the work of Master Huang Shan, a Chinese Tai Chi teacher based in Dali, Yunnan, who has spent decades studying traditional Tai Chi and Daoist cultivation.

What makes his approach interesting to me is not simply the movements themselves, but the idea behind them:

Tai Chi is not only something you do with your body. It can also become a way of studying the relationship between body, mind, breath, intention, and nature.

A different way of looking at Tai Chi

Master Huang Shan’s teaching is described as Daoist Traditional Tai Chi.

His practice draws from several traditional systems, including Wudang, Chen-style and Yang-style Tai Chi. Rather than treating these styles as completely separate worlds, his approach emphasizes the underlying principles shared by them: relaxation, balance, whole-body connection, circular movement, softness and the relationship between stillness and movement. (太极者⁠)

This is important because modern Tai Chi is often presented primarily as:

* gentle exercise
* stress reduction
* health maintenance
* meditation in movement

Those are valuable aspects of Tai Chi.

But historically, Tai Chi also belongs to the world of Chinese internal martial arts.

There is another question behind the movements:

What happens when the body becomes coordinated enough that strength no longer has to come from isolated muscles?

This is where traditional concepts such as song (relaxation), peng (expansive structural energy), yi (intention), qi, and whole-body integration become important.

From external movement to internal connection

One of the ideas associated with Huang Shan’s teaching is that the practitioner should gradually move beyond simply memorizing a sequence of postures.

The form becomes a laboratory.

You start by learning the shape.

Then you begin to feel the structure.

Then you explore how the feet, legs, hips, spine, shoulders and hands communicate with one another.

Eventually, the question becomes less:

“Am I doing the correct movement?”

and more:

“Can the entire body move as one?”

This is a very different mindset.

The goal is not necessarily to make the movement bigger or more impressive.

In fact, the movement may become smaller, quieter and more natural.

Why Daoism matters

The Daoist influence is perhaps the most fascinating part of Huang Shan’s approach.

Daoism places enormous emphasis on ziran — naturalness — and wuwei, often translated as “non-forcing” or “effortless action.”

These ideas can sound abstract when discussed philosophically.

But Tai Chi gives them a physical dimension.

For example, instead of meeting force with force, can you redirect it?

Instead of constantly controlling every movement with muscular effort, can you reduce unnecessary tension?

Instead of trying to “look like” Tai Chi, can the body gradually develop the qualities that Tai Chi describes?

This is one reason traditional Tai Chi can feel almost paradoxical:

The softer you become, the more connected you may become.

The less you force, the more efficiently you may move.

The quieter the body becomes, the more clearly you may perceive what is happening inside it.

These are not necessarily supernatural ideas. They can also be approached simply as questions of biomechanics, coordination, attention and motor learning.

Tai Chi as moving meditation

Another aspect of Huang Shan’s teaching is the relationship between Tai Chi and meditation.

In his approach, standing practice (zhan zhuang), slow forms, breathing, intention and martial application are not necessarily separate practices. They can be viewed as different stages of the same process. (太极者⁠)

Standing still teaches you something that movement can easily hide.

You begin to notice:

* where you are holding tension
* whether your weight is balanced
* how your spine is organized
* whether your breathing is natural
* how your attention affects your body

Then you take those discoveries into movement.

This is one reason I find traditional Tai Chi interesting even from outside the Chinese martial arts world.

It is simultaneously a martial art, a movement practice and a form of self-observation.

The Dali connection

Huang Shan’s current practice is associated with Dali, Yunnan, between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake.

That environment is particularly fitting for this kind of practice.

Traditional Daoist thought often emphasizes learning from nature rather than trying to dominate it.

Mountains.

Water.

Wind.

Stillness.

Movement.

Expansion.

Contraction.

These are not merely poetic metaphors in Tai Chi.

They can also become ways of observing how the body moves.

The official material about Huang Shan describes his practice as a path of “entering the Dao through boxing” — using martial practice as a way of exploring deeper principles of body and mind. (太极者⁠)

But what does “traditional” actually mean?

This is probably the most interesting question for a Reddit discussion.

There are many people today who use terms such as:

traditional

ancient

Daoist

internal

qigong

energy

and master.

These words can mean very different things depending on who is using them.

So I don’t think the right approach is simply to accept every claim about a teacher because it sounds ancient or mystical.

A better approach is:

Look at the practice.

Watch how the person moves.

Look at the training methodology.

Ask what students actually practice.

Ask how martial applications are tested.

Ask whether the philosophy is reflected in the training rather than simply added as decoration.

In that sense, Huang Shan’s work is interesting because his public teaching combines traditional forms, standing practice, internal training and Daoist philosophy rather than presenting Tai Chi simply as choreography. (太极者⁠)

What I find most interesting

Personally, the most interesting question isn’t whether one teacher is “the greatest Tai Chi master.”

That’s almost impossible to measure.

The more interesting question is:

What was Tai Chi originally trying to teach us about the human body?

Modern life encourages constant tension.

We sit.

We stare at screens.

We rush.

We overthink.

We use isolated muscles.

We try to control everything.

Tai Chi proposes almost the opposite experiment:

Slow down.

Relax unnecessary tension.

Feel the ground.

Organize the body.

Coordinate the whole structure.

Observe the mind.

Move without unnecessary force.

And gradually discover what happens.

Whether you approach this from martial arts, biomechanics, meditation, Chinese philosophy or simply curiosity, there is something worth exploring here.

Perhaps this is one reason traditional Tai Chi has survived for so long.

It is not merely a collection of movements.

It is a question:

What happens when movement becomes a way of understanding yourself?

⸻

I’m curious what other practitioners here think.

For those who practice Tai Chi, Wudang, Chen, Yang style, Xingyi, Bagua, Qigong or other internal arts:

Do you see Tai Chi primarily as a martial art, a health practice, a meditation practice, or something that combines all three?

And how important is the Daoist philosophical background to your own practice?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 110

TaichiZhe

🌿 Moving With Nature

Tai Chi is not simply about moving slowly.

It is about learning to move without unnecessary force — to listen to the body, feel the ground beneath the feet, and become connected with the world around us.

In this new practice, Master Huang Shan demonstrates traditional Taoist Tai Chi in a slow, natural and continuous way.

No performance.

No hurry.

Just movement, stillness, breath and awareness.

When the body becomes quiet, movement becomes natural.

Watch the full practice:

👉 https://youtu.be/-4hdm34-irM

What do you feel when you watch Tai Chi practiced this way?

#TaiChi #TaoistTaiChi #MasterHuangShan #TaichiZhe

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 106